1.What did you learn from the overall introduction (pp.

1-12) about slipstream and

contact ? Was there anything else from the individual introductions to the
specific stories that you found particularly useful or thought provoking?
Both Contact and Slipstream attempt to teach lessons or explain something by
immersing the reader in Native culture. I really liked the quote “..slipstream also appeals
because it allows authors to recover the Native space of the past, to bring it to the
attention of contemporary readers, and to build better futures.” I interpreted it as
meaning that through slipstream science fiction, we can combing the past with our
future, so that it doesn’t seem so distant, and it more closely applies to ourselves.
Through this, we can “build better futures.” Contact compares either Natives or white
men (or otherwise) to invading aliens. I think this is a great way to explain one side to
the other, though perhaps in a more negative light (though not always). I also really
liked the introduction to “from Flight” where it says that “the slippages represent rites of
passage that allow [Zits] to move beyond the self-loathing of internal colonization…” It
calls back to what I identified with in Slipstream about how we can discover ourselves
by moving through the past and present so sinuously.

2. For one of the stories from the Slipstream section, discuss how it fits into the
sub-genre of slipstream. That is, how/why is it an example of this thematic sub-
genre?
I chose “Aunt Parnetta’s Electric Blisters” by Diane Glancy. In the introduction to the
story, the author talks about how time is “a rubber band, stretchable, or as little loops.”
This perfectly exemplifies what slipstream is as a science fiction subgenre because time
is always in flux, and not a linear timeline. In the story, Aunt Parnetta becomes
increasingly annoyed by the new refrigerator, as the sound of it keeps her up at night
with its constant humming and clicking. The fridge represents a place that is ‘always
winter’ for Parnetta. Or a bad time for her native ancestors. The story slipstreams the
events of Little Bighorn and the Trail of Tears, as well as other events in the Cherokee
nation’s history.

3. For a different story from the Slipstream section, discuss the frame of
reference of one of the characters. That is, what is his/her perspective? Where is
s/he coming from? What is his/her relationship to the other characters, to the
setting, to the events of the story? What conditions and circumstances have
shaped him/her to be who s/he is? What is his/her understanding of the world
(what happens in the story) and where did that understanding come from? What
important understandings/perspectives might this character be missing—what
might be outside his/her frame of reference?
In “Custer on the Slipstream”, Farlie Border is a resurrected version of General George
Armstrong Custer. He is a greedy, selfish white man who refuses to let anyone get the
better of him, and enjoys lording over minorities and the poor. He works for the United
States Department of Labor, and uses the power this gives him for evil and his own
glory. He was shaped this way by his father, and the negative experience he had when
he first met Natives in his childhood. However, when he meets Crazy Horse/Sitting Bull
he is moved by the stranger’s speech and no longer feels like himself. He tries to feel
something by living a dangerous and supposedly exciting life, and in doing so, dies on
his motorcycle behind a grain truck. He could not grasp what Crazy Horse explained to
him about the Native people; he could not deal with his life, so he changed it for the
worse.

4.For a different story from the Slipstream section, discuss the theme(s). What
theme(s) do you see emerging in this story? What did the story leave you
thinking about? What connections did you make between this story and real
world events and/or issues?

I think “The Fast Red Road: A Plainsong”, went a little over my head, admittedly. But I
think the theme rose out of the story for me was individuality. Pidgin is half-white and
half-native, and he has to discover who he really is among the Natives. It left me
thinking about how many of us are culturally mixed, and how great our own individuality
is. I think in the real world, we are often finding ourselves lost among what is supposed
to be family and friends, especially as young kids.

5. For a different story from the Slipstream section, discuss the conflict in the
story. What is the primary conflict? Is it man vs man, man vs self, man vs society,
man vs nature, or man vs the supernatural? How does the conflict resolve? How
does the conflict help readers relate to the characters? How does the conflict
relate to one or more themes of the story?

The main conflict of “Flight” is between Zits and his own morality. I would say that it is
man vs self. He is constantly fighting against his own nature because of his bad
experiences with police and other people in his life. I feel like this is really relatable for
kids who have had hard experiences growing up (which is basically every kid). In the
end Zits is able to resist his desires to commit crimes and come out on top.

6. For one of the stories from the Contact section, discuss how it fits into the
sub-genre of contact. That is, how/why is it an example of this thematic sub-
genre?
“The Black Ship” is a great example of the sub-genre of contact as it describes two
different alien cultures clashing together. When Enid is taken to the Anphorians, her
own culture is stolen from her. She sees no problem with her own race being used as
servants aboard the ship. We see the huge differences between the two races, when in
reality, they are not that different. But the way they treat each other is what makes them
seem so different.

7.For a different story from the Contact section, discuss the frame of reference of
one of the characters. That is, what is his/her perspective? Where is s/he coming
from? What is his/her relationship to the other characters, to the setting, to the
events of the story? What conditions and circumstances have shaped him/her to
be who s/he is? What is his/her understanding of the world (what happens in the
story) and where did that understanding come from? What important
understandings/perspectives might this character be missing—what might be
outside his/her frame of reference?

Grandfather in “Man in the Moon” is completely disconnected to his grandchildren

because they are so connected to modern American society and its culture. He comes
from an old world, and just does not connect with the world of his grandchildren. He
can't even understand the language spoken on the television. It makes him feel small
and ignorant, and in this way, he loses the meaning of the world around him.

8. For a different story from the Contact section, discuss the conflict in the story.
What is the primary conflict? Is it man vs man, man vs self, man vs society, man
vs nature, or man vs the supernatural? How does the conflict resolve? How does
the conflict help readers relate to the characters? How does the conflict relate to
one or more themes of the story?

“Refugees” has a few interesting conflicts, but I think the main one would have to be
man vs society. The members of the ship are told that they can no longer live on Earth
and must evacuate to a new home. Because none of the people on the ship know the
truth for sure, they understandably feel like they are being controlled by those who
made them leave in the first place.

9.What connections do you see between the stories you read this week and the
research you did for Context Builder 3?

I think the research that we did last week really helps us to connect more to the stories we read
this week. Reading about Custer, the Trail of Tears, Crazy Horse, etc, helped me relate more to
the stories that I was reading. Especially learning about the authors in one of the movies we
watched made me think of the people holding the pens and writing out the stories. What their
experiences were like, what their culture had taught them about oral tradition, what their families
went through.